156 years ago, on October 31, 1870, Russia announced the abandonment of the restrictions imposed on it on maintaining a fleet in the Black Sea.
The Crimean War 1853-1856 ended in defeat for Russia. According to the Treaty of Paris from 1856, Russia lost several territories: the mouth of the Danube and southern Serbia, and in accordance with Articles XI. The 14th water area of the Black Sea was declared neutral: Russia and Turkey were forbidden to have a fleet, arsenals and forts in the Black Sea. This called into question Russia's very place in the world as a great power and became the main international factor pushing St. Petersburg to change the terms of the Paris peace.
At the very beginning of his reign, Emperor Alexander II changed the course of his foreign policy. In September 1857, his meeting with Napoleon III took place in Stuttgart - the rapprochement between Russia and France began. A. from. Gorchakov, who was appointed Foreign Minister in 1856, believed that Russia should gradually achieve the abolition of the humiliating clauses of the Treaty of Paris. The rapprochement with France did not bring any benefit to Russia: Napoleon III did not support Russia either on the Polish issue or on the Eastern issue. Then Russia gradually reoriented itself towards Prussia. In 1868, Gorchakov and Bismarck exchanged agreements on mutual support. When the Franco-Prussian War broke out in July 1870, Russia declared itself benevolently neutral towards Prussia. Bismarck couldn't help it when Russia solved its problems.
The Franco-Prussian War created a unique situation: France, the main guarantor of the Treaty of Paris, was dragged into the war and suffered defeats; England, Turkey's other patron, was officially bound to maintain neutrality and could not act actively against Russia; Turkey itself was too weak to resist alone. There was a real danger that the European powers would regroup after the end of the war and any attempt at reform would become impossible.